8WWL CONTINUED

By now, most of you have some familiarity with the Spinning® 8 Week Weight Loss Program. This is a well-designed and informative program that, by now, has a proven track record. However, as many of my students have discovered, 8 weeks is just the tip of the iceberg.

Over the past few years I have taught multiple sessions of this program at our facility. Participants experience results on an individual level. Some lose pounds, some struggle to maintain their losses; some integrate exercise into their daily life and others struggle to continue to do so. Some learn new information about nutrition and others find much of the information a review, but enjoy the 8 steps to managing their nutrition and life-style habits. All wish for continued support.

So, we gave it a try. We offered an 8 Month Weight Management workshop series consisting of a 60 minute Spinning® class followed by a 30+ minute discussion. Each month we read a book dealing with weight management, lifestyle issues, exercise or another relevant, contemporary topic such as Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating, John Ratey’s Spark or Barbara Rolls’ The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet, new this year. I emailed the group during the month with helpful hints and encouragement and they connected with each other to share concerns or arrange times to workout together or meet at Spinning® class.

It was a good plan, a good group and enjoyed mixed results. There is definitely a need to continue to provide group support and encouragement to participants. At our facility we are challenged with limited scheduling time and the resulting need to find a time that works for the majority of the participants. It is also necessary to make any additional work such as this a fee-based program. Trying to keep the fee low enough to be do-able yet satisfy management is always a trick. Yet, the community of Spinning® students who wish to address weight management issues has valid concerns.

Has your facility offered this program? If not, you should. But, then, what have you done or would you do to help your participants continue on their journey to a fit and healthy lifestyle? This is an issue to consider, a challenge to meet, a goal to strive for. Please share your experience as well as your ideas. We have the opportunity to interact with others and to help bring new awareness of achievable possibilities to those with whom we connect. It is a privilege, a responsibility and a pleasure. And, it is just another reason why we are dedicated to our Spinning® program.